Here Comes the Indian is extremely unconventional and expresses the emotions we don't want normally wish to confront. Seems as if the band was looking to explore some of the darkest emotions the heart can hold and elicit them within this album. It's apprehensive, chaotic, hectic dreadful, and holds so much sorrow... and the sounds are presented in such a feral manner as if the band was actually possessed by animals as their name suggests. Imagine someone that's close to you who's nowhere close to being adept with nature being thrown into the a murky forest that spread fifty acres wide with no phone, water, or light and the fear or doubt of survival that would run through their mind. Here Comes the Indian is just that. The album is unique, there's no doubting that.. but whether or not it reveals qualities in music that are deemed commendable or distasteful is entirely up to the listeners interpretation in the experiences of emotions that elicit abandonment, insanity, and distraught.

The following soundoff is a conspiracy theory. Blame it on the rock-man: in early Animal Collective live performances, you could always see the duo of Avey Tare and Panda Bear banging out some thrashy psych-rock, but what's that other guy doing there? Leaning over a pile of effects pedals and other musical play-things, you could always see "new" (circa 2001) third member Geologist making the "noise", exploring feedback and fuzz. Song-ruiner? Maybe, considering the only thing that seemed to change between their pretty-great debut and the simply bad Danse Manatee was the addition of this member. And then, again, without Geologist making his noise, the Collective made Campfire Songs, a great and calming acoustic collection. So, add Geologist in AGAIN and we have Here Comes The Indian. Should be pretty crappy, right? Wrong. On this release, the group finally find an amazing balance between the disconcerting whirrs and buzzes of Danse Manatee and the poppier song structures of their debut, which results in great songs like opener "Native Belle" and psych-rock freakout "Slippi" (check that melody, yo!). A "trip", for sure, but not one that requires suspension of musical disbelief. Childish nay, robotic maybe.